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Time of My Life

by Allison Winn Scotch (Goodreads Author)

3.39 · rating details · 2,690 ratings · 586 reviews

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Jillian Westfield has a life straight out of the women’s magazines she obsessively reads. She’s got the modern-print rugs of Metropolitan Home, the elegant meals from Gourmet, and the clutter-free closets out of Real Simple. With her investment-banker husband behind the wheel and her cherubic eighteen-month-old in the backseat, hers could be the fa...more

Paperback, 304 pages

Published August 4th 2009 by Three Rivers Press (first published October 7th 2008)

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Sep 09, 2009

Amanda rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to Amanda by: Kittykay

Shelves: 2009, scifi-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Jillian has the seemingly perfect suburban life with a supportive husband and a cute toddler that she gets to stay home with. But underneath the facade, she’s dying. Slowly withering away trying to keep up the perfect-wife-and-mother act. She can’t help but think what her world would be like if she had stayed with her exboyfriend, Jack, instead of leaving him behind seven years ago. And then she gets her chance to find out.

This book followed the very predictable path of second-chance b...moreJillian has the seemingly perfect suburban life with a supportive husband and a cute toddler that she gets to stay home with. But underneath the facade, she’s dying. Slowly withering away trying to keep up the perfect-wife-and-mother act. She can’t help but think what her world would be like if she had stayed with her exboyfriend, Jack, instead of leaving him behind seven years ago. And then she gets her chance to find out.

This book followed the very predictable path of second-chance books/films, with the main character going back in time and do things over with 20/20 hindsight. Like all second chance plots I’ve seen/read, Jillian of course ends up realizing that she’d rather be with her husband and child than with her ex. She has to work to move back forward in time. There were some surprises with that, but nothing huge.

This was exactly the kind of book I needed right now. Down to earth, homey, feel-good, warm and fuzzy. I was happy with it, though to be completely honest, it probably won’t stick with me on a permanant basis. There was nothing earth shattering or anything. It was just a nice quiet book for me to read.

It did discuss one thing that really struck me on a more personal level, though. One of the things Jillian has a second chance at is getting to know her mother, who abandoned her family when Jillian was nine. There’s a lot of discussion about the sacrifices women tend to make as mothers, and what happens when the pressure becomes too much (because really, isn’t Jillian’s popping back 7 years in the past just as much as an abandonment of her daughter?). Honestly, motherhood and being a stay at home mom is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done, especially when my three boys were younger. There have been moments when I’ve been tempted to just leave. Thankfully, I’ve always managed to keep a grip on myself and figure out how to eleviate the pressure in order to stay. But it’s been hard. I know it will keep being hard. I know that I can’t not do things for myself. I can’t try to be the perfect mom. That would just kill me. Some people don’t understand, but that’s simply what I have to do to survive and keep my family in tact, which is what’s most important.

Mothers who abandon their families are always looked on as monsters, but I feel sorry for them because I have stood at that teetering point of decision before. I know how hard it is, and I know it’s not because of any lack of love they have for their children. Abandonment is terrible, and leaves behind terrible consequences, but I personally can’t blame the mother too much. I feel her pain. I wish I knew how to make mothers out there know that they don’t have to sublimate themselves for their children. They don’t have to stop living. They do have to be responsible, of course, but being responsible does not mean being perfect or living up to any particular media-fed, societal, or cultural standard. They do not cease to exist just because the children are born, and if they treat themselves as such, they will slowly be bent down into nonexistance. And that’s bad. Bad bad bad.

But enough. That part of the book struck a personal chord with me, while the rest was just cozy. I don’t regret reading it. It was exactly what I was looking for.(less)

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Jan 30, 2009

Anastasia rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, fiction

This novel was very light in some ways (primarily, the main character was a superficial, highly privileged, wealthy, suburban, unhappy housewife/mother--- though that changed some) but was a thoroughly enjoyable read. It is fun to think about going back in your life, knowing what you know now, and having the option of making different choices; the author did a nice job of exploring this theme.

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May 12, 2011

Jan rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, chick-lit

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. One thing you need to understand about my reading list is that it is very long. The books at the beginning of it have been on the list for several years. This year, I have been making a concentrated effort at tackling those books that have been on it for a long time, such as this book. Imagine my surprise, upon receiving it from the library, when I realized that this book had already crossed my path many times before when I was volunteering a the bookstore AND I PASSED IT UP, not recognizing tha...moreOne thing you need to understand about my reading list is that it is very long. The books at the beginning of it have been on the list for several years. This year, I have been making a concentrated effort at tackling those books that have been on it for a long time, such as this book. Imagine my surprise, upon receiving it from the library, when I realized that this book had already crossed my path many times before when I was volunteering a the bookstore AND I PASSED IT UP, not recognizing that it was a book on my list.

I should really learn to listen to my instincts.

So this book is one of those standard "It's A Wonderful Life" type stories. The central character, Jillian, is unhappy with her life as a well-to-do homemaker and wonders what would have happened if she'd made some different choices in her life, i.e. stayed with that old boyfriend, continued in that high-powered job, etc.

For me, the main problem with this book is that Jillian's life is actually quite nice. She might not be entirely satisfied with it, but her issue is existential, not physical (unlike, say, the movie mentioned above, where the central character is experiencing serious financial difficulties). In reality, her problems could be resolved if she just actually, you know, TALKED to her perfectly nice husband, rather than seething silently. Which, to me, made her come across like a spoiled brat. I had a hard time relating to her.

I think that a therapist was pretty much all she needed, but instead, she somehow magically gets sent back in time when a massage releases her chi. Um, okay.....this plot point is never explained. At least in "It's a Wonderful Life," you know that an angel is the one showing George how things could have been. I could have used a little explanation.

So, blah, blah, blah, after a lot of drama and such, Jillian of course eventually realizes that she actually liked her future life after all and finds her way back to it. And here is where the story really lost me. Because when she goes back to her future life, things that she did in her second attempt at the past actually changed the way things turned out in the future! And yet she's still married to the guy she was married to in the beginning with the kid she had in the beginning. Huh? So what was the point of the book? Was her future life better than her past or not? And if her future life just needed a little improvement, why couldn't she make that happen without going back and mucking around with the past?

But the thing that REALLY bothered me is this: in Jillian's original past, her best friend discovered that she was unable to have children after several miscarriages and eventually kills herself because all she ever wanted was to be a mother. But after Jillian mucked around in the past, when she returns to her new future, that friend is not only still alive but has natural born (not adopted) children. WHY? What could Jillian going back to her past possibly have done to make her friend able to have children? It makes no sense!

I feel like the author just wanted to have a perfect, happy ending. To me, that's just intellectually dishonest.(less)

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Oct 09, 2008

Cindy Bokma rated it

· review of another edition

You will love this novel that poses the question, "What if...I could go back in time and change choice that I have made?"

Allison is a wonderful author and I know my friends will read this book cover to cover and love every word.

xo
Cindy

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Dec 09, 2009

Mrs. Crane rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: suicidal insomniacs

Recommended to Mrs. Crane by: a magazine

Shelves: shitty-shelf

This is one of the worst novels I ever read in my entire life!
I hated this book so much. It's not even worth being on goodreads.
If you like trash novels, this is the book for you.

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Feb 02, 2009

Bria rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: adult-books

Very fast read. If it didn't read so fast, I don't know if I would have finished it. The end of the book was satisfying but I got bored throughout most of the book. I really didn't connect with the main character...most of the time she annoyed me.

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Jul 30, 2008

Candy rated it

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A tantalizing question- what would life be like if you’d chosen the old boyfriend or forgiven the mother who wronged you? Once I accepted that a spa treatment (really!) was the vehicle that gives suburban mom Jill a rerun of her last seven years, but with a chance to change paths, I couldn’t put it down. Jill's eyes are opened when she meets regrets and missteps head-on. Perhaps it’s not the history that needs changing as much as Jill does. If a deep tissue massage can reveal what’s important...more

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Feb 02, 2009

Karen rated it

· review of another edition

This was a book our book club wanted to read, but didn't because it wasn't readily available at the library. But one of the girls was able to get a copy and read it anyway and said it was good. So I put my name on the waiting list at the library...... I was number 32 in line, and it took a couple of months to get it. Because of all the demand and the waiting, I was expecting ALOT from this book! But, I was pretty disappointed.

The main character is Jillian, and she has the perfe...more

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Jan 07, 2009

Shonda rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: read-2009

From the outside looking in, it appears as though Jillian Westfield has the perfect life. After marrying and moving away from New York City into the suburbs, Jillan and her husband, Henry, have a daughter, Katie, a nice home and Jillian does not have to want for anything.

For Jillian, something is missing. She feels an emptiness inside, that she is uncertain if anything will ever fill it. Then one day while walking with a friend, she learns that her old flame, Jackson, is getting marrie...more

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Sep 21, 2011

Yla Delarosa rated it

· review of another edition

Introduction: Again, another book that asks us "what if you had a chance to do it all again? If you could leave your seemingly routined and monotonous life as a full time wife and mom to have a second chance with the one you tagged to be the love of your life, would you do it?" But to tell you honestly, I dont regret reading this book. Its cozy yet thought provoking, perfect for light reading.

Overview: Jillian has a life straight out of the women’s magazines she obsessively r...moreIntroduction: Again, another book that asks us "what if you had a chance to do it all again? If you could leave your seemingly routined and monotonous life as a full time wife and mom to have a second chance with the one you tagged to be the love of your life, would you do it?" But to tell you honestly, I dont regret reading this book. Its cozy yet thought provoking, perfect for light reading.

Overview: Jillian has a life straight out of the women’s magazines she obsessively reads. She’s got the modern-print rugs of Metropolitan Home, the elegant meals from Gourmet, and the clutter-free closets out of Real Simple. With her investment-banker husband behind the wheel and her cherubic eighteen-month-old in the backseat, hers could be the family in the magazines’ Range Rover ads.
Yet somehow all of the how-to magazine stories in the world can’t seem to fix her faltering marriage or stop her from asking "What if?"
Then one morning Jillian wakes up seven years in the past. She’s back in her Manhattan apartment. She’s back in her fast-paced job. And she’s still with Jackson, the ex-boyfriend, and star of her what-if fantasies.
Armed with twenty-twenty hindsight, she’s free to choose all over again. She can reconnect to the mother who abandoned her, she can use ad campaigns from her future to wow her clients, and she can fix the fights that doomed her relationship with Jackson.
Or can she?

My opinion: I always love reading books that tells about going back to the past to try to correct a mistake (or a decision) only to realize that our protagonists will never change anything at all anyway. But I particularly love the way this book is written, in a sense that when Jillian goes back to the past, she is really convince that it is a chance for her to change her fate and eventually end up not with the husband she chose seven years ago but the boyfriend she love even seven years after. She became unhappy with her current life because she believed that she will be happier with her ex boyfriend whose passionate and free-spirited. She got tired of the routines of being a house wife and a full time mother. This is a good read, and I'm sure you'll enjoy the ride back in time with Jillian - with her second chances and realizations.

I guess, this book tells us that regardless of the choices we made... there will always be moments when we will ask ourselves "what if?". So... it may not be history that needs changing after all :)(less)

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Feb 06, 2011

Kooheli rated it

· review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The story behind this novel is a bit formulaic: Jillian has a perfect life on the surface, husband and young daughter, nice house and all its trappings. She wonders, though, about The One Who Got Away - Jackson, her ex from seven years ago, the relationship that ended without her truly understanding why. When she gets a second chance to make things work with Jackson - her released chi allowing for the corresponding shift in her universe - she embraces the opportunity. Now she won't have to en...moreThe story behind this novel is a bit formulaic: Jillian has a perfect life on the surface, husband and young daughter, nice house and all its trappings. She wonders, though, about The One Who Got Away - Jackson, her ex from seven years ago, the relationship that ended without her truly understanding why. When she gets a second chance to make things work with Jackson - her released chi allowing for the corresponding shift in her universe - she embraces the opportunity. Now she won't have to end up with Henry, the boor, or be stuck in her affluent house with her 2-year old daughter, the one she supposedly loves so dearly.

Oops. This is the central flaw of this novel. What mother actually wishes away the life that includes her child? It would be one thing if Jillian, as a character, was fallible enough to admit disliking motherhood; at least that would have given her depth. But no, she claims that her daughter is the end-all, be-all, and then she happily prances back into Jackson's life. Given that she is supposed to be an intelligent and thoughtful woman, the notion that it would take her a YEAR of searching to realize that, yes, she does want her child is simply absurd. I'm all for suspending disbelief, but this was too much of a stretch.

I wish this book had focused on the man-woman relationship and simply not bothered with the motherhood angle. I thought the descriptions of her interactions with both Jackson and Henry were credibly thoughtful, and the idea that we are tied to the people we will love, whether or not we know it, is certainly a moving one. I really just couldn't let go of her near-eager willingness to step out of her allegedly beloved role as a mom, and that ruined the end for me. Sure, she gets it all back, but does she deserve to? After all, aside from shedding a few tears of nostalgia from time to time, she doesn't exactly spend the time pining for her daughter.

This was the perfect "snow day" novel - amusing, mildly thought-provoking, illogical, and ultimately forgettable. Or you could just rent "Sliding Doors" with Gwynneth Paltrow and have a much better and more fulfilling experience with these same ideas.(less)

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Sep 02, 2010

Julie rated it

· review of another edition

What if you had a chance to do it all again? If you could leave your stagnant marriage and monotonous life as a stay at home mom to have a second chance with "the one that got away," would you do it?

Jill, a formerly brilliant ad executive, gets just that chance when a twist of fate turns back the clock seven years. She wakes up one morning and instead of being in bed with her husband Henry, she finds herself living with former boyfriend Jack, just several months before they...moreWhat if you had a chance to do it all again? If you could leave your stagnant marriage and monotonous life as a stay at home mom to have a second chance with "the one that got away," would you do it?

Jill, a formerly brilliant ad executive, gets just that chance when a twist of fate turns back the clock seven years. She wakes up one morning and instead of being in bed with her husband Henry, she finds herself living with former boyfriend Jack, just several months before they are due to break up. Jill has the rare chance to redo her life and is faced with the choice of whether she does all she can to save her relationship with Jack or whether she moves on forward back to the old life she has already lived, the old life that includes her 18-month-old daughter Katie.

I thought the premise of this book was interesting. What if you could simply rewind time to that one great love that hurt you more than anything and make it work? Would your life be better, more fulfilling? Or was there an important reason why the relationship failed in the first place? Would you be able to avoid all the same mistakes or would you simply make new ones?

So I liked the premise, but the execution ... well, I'm not so sure. I think any mother reading this would find it hard to believe that Jill could even entertain a choice that would erase the existence of her beloved child. It is just not possible. As a mother, you know that the relationship with Jack is still doomed the second time around. At that level, the story is predictable and that predictability is somewhat unforgivable. Still, it was fun to see how Jill's second chance would unravel this time around.

One saving grace is the interesting subplot of Jill's estranged mother who left when Jill was just 9. Some of the choices Jill makes the second time around have a lasting and profound impact on several of the main characters in the book.

On a very picky side note, one of the reasons Jack and Jill's relationship unravels is that Jack, an editor for Esquire Magazine, is not ambitious enough for Jill. Jill wants him to finish the novel he's been working on off and on for the past few years. Um hello, since when is being an editor of a major magazine not considered successful when compared to being a struggling and unpublished novelist??? Just does not make sense to me. If you want the guy to be unsuccessful, make him a barista for heavens sake!(less)

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Jul 29, 2010

Robin Nicholas rated it

· review of another edition

It isn't a masterpiece or particularly great writing...but it was very interesting and thought provoking. Jillian is a 30-something, affluent, stay-at-home mom, who does pilates, has massages, and drives a Range Rover, however, she is very unsatisfied with her life. She gave up a successful Manhattan advertising career and moved to the suburbs to raise her daughter. Her husband travels non-stop and she is lonely. She often wonders "what if". What if she hadn't given up her career?...more

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Jul 17, 2010

Sherri rated it

· review of another edition

This book irritated the heck out of me. I admit I am not a fan of chick lit books but the premise sounded intriguing. The road not taken appeals to most of us, if we are honest. I expected more from her, hoped she would take more risks, change more about herself and at least do something interesting.

The characters were simple, shallow and predictable. I could not bring myself to like the selfish, clueless and callow heroine. I thought her swearing was kind of funny after awhile, like...more

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May 17, 2010

Jessica rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: No one

I really liked the back-liner description of this book. Really liked it. In fact, that is the reason that I picked it up and was exciting to read it. HOWEVER, it fell completely short of my expectations based on its description. What potential this story had. But Winn Scotch absolutely lost me as a reader. First of all, the story was very predictable and familiar. There was FAR too much unnecessary language. And the main character, Jillian, was simply unlikeable and undesirable, and never redeem...moreI really liked the back-liner description of this book. Really liked it. In fact, that is the reason that I picked it up and was exciting to read it. HOWEVER, it fell completely short of my expectations based on its description. What potential this story had. But Winn Scotch absolutely lost me as a reader. First of all, the story was very predictable and familiar. There was FAR too much unnecessary language. And the main character, Jillian, was simply unlikeable and undesirable, and never redeemed herself, even though the author tried as she might to make it seemed like she changed. I never really bought it. I never really saw an actual and truthful change that truly effects the areas of someone's life. I never felt like she even had a smidgen of love for her husband or her 18 month old daughter. And you know, as a mother of an 18 month old daughter, that was the part that bothered me by far the most. We all, as parents, have days and perhaps weeks or months where we are stressed out and do not enjoy parenthood, to the point of wishing we could go back to work or in whatever way leave this life behind us. However, the absolutely joy (and to me much of the point) of parenthood is that even in those days when we are stressed to the max and want to lock ourselves away in a room and never come out, there are still the moments when out child hugs us or smiles or tells us they love us, that makes the stressful moments worth it. Well, Jillian DIDN'T have those. And when she left her 18 month old daughter behind, she never seemed to care about it or miss those little moments. Sure there were a couple of times that she was reminded of something special with her daughter, but not like a mother would be. Even though I get stressed out and worked to my wits end, the potential of NEVER seeing my kids EVER again would be like a death to me and my heart would ache at every turn. This aspect was written so badly to me that I truly believed and was certain that the author, Alison Winn Scotch, did not have children. But to my surprise she has 2. This book makes feel a little sad of her children and her husband. Because even after she "changed", she still didn't seem to ache after them. (less)

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Apr 02, 2010

Debbie rated it

This was a good book and certainly kept me entertained...but I definitely would not label it a GREAT book! It follows along the lines of so many stories these days, both in books and in movies of the "what if" story and this one is incorporated along with the "time travel" story...and they just don't seem to flow together nicely in this novel. That being said, don't let that become a spoiler to you...as there is still enough awakening in the life of Jillian Westfield that y...more

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Nov 25, 2009

Nicole rated it

· review of another edition

I just couldn't figure out what the main character hated about her life that she wanted a "do-over". I don't know any full-time moms who have a nanny so that they can run errands, the description of her husband made him seem like a nice enough guy, and she loved being with her toddler. She was even lucky enough to go to the gym to exercise and out with her girlfriends. What's not to like? Unfortunately, the writer never fully explained. Instead, the main character went back in tim...more

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Nov 21, 2009

Elizabeth rated it

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When I picked it up, I thought I was just going to breeze through another Chick Lit read, but this book had so much more to it. The premise is, what would you do if you could go back in time and live your life over again. Would you make the same choices? What would happen if you picked another person to marry? These are the questions facing heroine Jillian. She seems to have everything. A beautiful suburban home, a wonderful husband, and an adorable daughter. She's bored and unhappy, though. Her...more

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Aug 21, 2009

Diane rated it

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I was in the mood for a light-hearted chick lit book and this hit the spot. The premise, of being able to back in time, knowing what you know now, to before you met your husband and having the chance to find out if you should have stayed with that sexy but irresponsible boyfriend you were with for years just prior to meeting your current spouse, is one probably many women can relate to, including myself.

The writing is not superb; there are some strained metaphors and the characters...more

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May 02, 2009

Abby Lyn rated it

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The style of this book reminds me of the work of Emily Griffin - chick lit that has more depth to it and characters that really seem to come to life. This is the story of a pampered, Westchester i-banker's wife and new mother who is bored with her husband and overwhelmed by motherhood (despite the nanny, mansion and Range Rover). She tries to compensate for the loneliness and the deep-seated issues that stem from her mother's abandonment of her at age nine, by making herself into an ideal Step...more

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Mar 18, 2009

Sarah Clayton rated it

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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 21, 2010

ICPL Staff Picks added it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, kara, staff-picks-blog

Second chances. How many times in life have we all wished for second chances? In Allison Winn Scotch’s second novel, protagonist Jillian Westfield gets a second chance after a "chi adjustment" sends her seven years back in time to her life with former boyfriend, Jackson. Jillian’s bohemian lifestyle with Jackson in New York City is contrasted with a her sterile former (future) life with a perfect husband, child and house in the suburbs. Jillian soon realizes that things are not alw...more

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Jul 06, 2011

Pam rated it

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Recommends it for: young women

Recommended to Pam by: bookclub memeber

I wanted to like this but I'm not crazy about time travel books - they always seem somewhat confusing to me and this one desperately needed some editing. I don't think the confusion I felt was all my fault. For example, I'm still confused...is Megan alive? Evidently she is and she did have a child but early on, we were told she died. How did Jillian going back and changing her life also change Megan's? I've missed something I guess.
Also, why so much of the f-word? I'm not a prude and ha...more

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Jan 16, 2010

Sheila Callahan rated it

· review of another edition

I didn't want to like this book. Well, that's not exactly true. The trouble was I DID want to like it, since I belonged to the same writers' organization as the author. However, when I read the opening scene, about a Yuppie mom driving a Land Rover, I thought, "Ew, here's another self-involved, rich, Pilates-taking woman with one child living near Manhattan. Spare me."

But, I had spent my money, so I continued reading and found myself increasingly taken in by the character...more

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Dec 23, 2009

Jennifer (Crazy-for-Books.com) rated it

Recommends it for: Those who like chick lit and women's fiction

Shelves: chick-lit, general-fiction

This book has a very interesting premise – one that I think many of us may have pondered at some point in our lives. The big question: What if? What would life have been like if you stayed with an ex? What this book allows the reader to do is get a glimpse of a character who has that choice. Time of My Life tells the story of Jillian Westfield, a stay-at-home mom with a beautiful daughter, a magazine-perfect home, and a doting husband. But looks can be very deceiving. With her marriage crumbling...moreThis book has a very interesting premise – one that I think many of us may have pondered at some point in our lives. The big question: What if? What would life have been like if you stayed with an ex? What this book allows the reader to do is get a glimpse of a character who has that choice. Time of My Life tells the story of Jillian Westfield, a stay-at-home mom with a beautiful daughter, a magazine-perfect home, and a doting husband. But looks can be very deceiving. With her marriage crumbling, Jill begins to wonder what life would have been like had she stayed with her ex-boyfriend, Jack. One day, after a relaxing massage, Jill wakes up to find herself seven years in the past. Now she will get a chance to change the course of her life – or will she? What if you could go into the past and make different decisions? Would you? What if those decisions affected the lives of everyone around you? Would you still make a different choice?

With the gift of hindsight, Jillian jumps headfirst into her previous life, making different choices, with drastically different outcomes. Each decision, big or small, has a rippling effect on the lives of everyone around her, including her boss, Josie, and her friend, Meg. Knowing what the future holds for them, Jillian tries to help her friends at important times in their lives. But, will her newfound attentiveness change their futures, too?

And what about Jack, the reason for this trip back in time? Well, suffice it to say that Jillian faces some different challenges in that relationship!

I really enjoyed this book, but I felt that the ending was a bit rushed and I would have liked to have seen it fleshed out a bit more. I want to know how the supporting characters came to be where they were at the end. I felt that I only got a glimpse and I can assume things that happened, but I really wanted the author to show me more. Yes, the ending is predictable, but it’s not so much about the ending, but more about the journey that Jillian takes. All in all, it was a compelling read that I enjoyed. This is a story of self-discovery and taking responsibility for our own happiness. It sends a positive, uplifting message. I am looking forward to reading the author’s other books.

I would rate this book with a strong 4 out of 5 stars. (less)

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Jul 07, 2010

~Tina~ rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: chicklets, lib, read-2010

Have you ever wondered "what if"? Have you ever looked at your life and all it's craziness and think back to a time in your past that you could go back to, and if you could, would you?
What reality would you choose if you had the chance to do it all over again?

Time of my life sets the story of a neglected suburban wife, who even though has a content life can't seem to find any real passion in her marriage, and while she has a beautiful daughter who she lives for, can't...more

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Feb 02, 2010

Mary rated it

Jillian Westfield has been living a perfect life - at least according to the magazine articles that have been advising her. She has put so much pressure on herself to be the ideal wife and mother that she breaks under the stress of it all. In a kind of freaky accident-by-massage she finds herself living seven years earlier. Her same life, seven years earlier. The do-over of all do-overs! She's back living with her boyfriend Jackson and on the fast track at work. She's reliving familiar situation...more

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Nov 21, 2008

Karah rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit

I was just expecting a light chick lit book and while this was definitely a light little read, I really found myself thinking while I read it! The story is about a woman who wakes up in her 30 something life with a young daughter and married to a lawyer who travels a lot but makes lots of money for her cushy suburban life. She's not happily married and begins to think about her ex-boyfriend and what life would've been like had she been more understanding with him. She begins to only remember ...more

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Aug 16, 2010

Kathy rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: people looking for a beach-read

Jillian Westfield, an unhappy, unfulfilled suburban SAHM with the “perfect” life travels 7 years back in time, when she was living with her (then) rich and handsome boyfriend, Jack. She gets a life “do-over” WITH the benefit of hindsight. Will she choose to stay with Jack, even though he is an unambitious momma’s boy? Or will she choose her husband and suburban life all over again? And the impact of her mother’s abandonment when she was just 9 years old…will Jillian finally come to terms with th...more

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Sep 13, 2009

Kathryn rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Kathryn by: found it at book store

I really loved this book. The only reason it doesn't get 5 stars is that it was more of a fun read than a work of literature - in my opinion. Jillian Wakefield has it all, the successful husband, a beautiful 18-mo. old daughter and a wonderful suburban life. For some reasons the "what-ifs" seem to nag at her, and then one morning she wakes up 7 years in the past. She's completely freaked out as her memory is in tact and she gets to re-live all her decisions with the wisdom of the exper...more

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About Allison Winn Scotch

I'm the author of The One That I Want, Time of My Life, The Department of Lost and Found. My next book, The Song Remains the Same, will be published in April 2012.

As an author, I know how brutal reviews can be, so I'll only post about books I've enjoyed. (Just in case you're wondering why all of my reviews are positive!)

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Quotes from Time of My Life

“What was the one moment we lost our way? Or was it a series of moments that snowballed into something larger, something intangible, something careeining forward with too much acceleration for us to stop it now?” — 5 people liked it

“That's the thing," Jo says. "You think you know what you're in for. I mean, you tell yourself that, of course, it's not going to be wine and roses and all of that bullshit for the rest of your life, but then, one day, you wake up, and your fucking husband has morphed into someone whom you barely recognize. And you sit there and you stare at him while he scratches his balls through his underwear at the kitchen table, and you think, 'This is totally not what I signed up for. I mean, who knows if I even love this ball-scratching, foul-breathed man?' And then you wonder if you love him more out of habit than out of anything else." She chews the inside of her lip and considers. "And I guess from there, all bets are off.” — 4 people liked it

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